We got into Auckland late last night (early this morning actually) and got settled into our hostel. Nick and I are in a private double which was nice for today – we were able to leave all of our luggage in our room without being too concerned with unsavoury people.
Sidenote – Nick and I decided that we’ll know we’re back in America the moment we land and have to go through customs. I have a feeling as though it’s going to be more stressful and/or complicated. Or when we don’t get meals served on the plane.
Today we spent the morning sleeping in a bit (we didn’t get to bed until about 2:00am) and then headed off to get groceries and checked with our Wicked Camper pickup. The afternoon was spent out on the water – in an America’s Cup boat from ’95 (I think). Anyways, it was awesome! We spent two hours on the water helping crew the boat and steer the ship. We learned that these boats have a crew or 17 members while racing – our boat only had 10 people on it – this was nice because we all got to help out instead of just sitting and watching. I really enjoy sailing. Too bad I live furthest away from both oceans!
Tomorrow we begin our road trip. We just bought an FM radio transmitter for the iPod and tonight Nick and I have to agree on a playlist (we differ on a few points). We probably won’t have internet access for the next few days so I don’t know when you’ll hear from me. Hopefully before the 17th!
Hope all is well back home!
Take Care,
30 June 2009
28 June 2009
It is Experience
Dear Everyone ,
It has been a while since we last talked. Why you ask? Because the place we were staying for the past two nights didn’t have electricity. They’re located in the middle of a national park and it is part of their conservation efforts. They compensated by comping brekky for us. Fair Enough.
The first day, we left Cairnes and did a bus tour up north to Cape Tribulation. On the first day, we went out on the Daintree River to look for saltwater crocodiles – we found them! Quite a large sight, although all they did was laze about. What a life!
Before getting to the resort, we stopped at a local ice cream spot where the flavours were of local variety. For a simple five dollars, we got one scoop of each of their four flavours: Jakfruit, wattleseed, coconut, and apricot. The wattleseed was bomb-dot-com (Nick)! Coconut? Wish it wasn’t the last one I tackled (Jer).
The resort was amazing. It is named “The Beach House” and it fit perfectly. Nestled underneath the rainforest our cabin was within a 5 minute trail to a perfectly secluded beach. The Daintree National Park, where we were staying, is an incredible location; The rainforest is 19 times older than the Amazon and the oldest in the world and connects to the Great Barrier reef which is the most populated and diverse ecosystem in the world. These two meet on a small strip of perfect sandy beach that is teaming with crabs running around sparatically.
The next day was arguably the greatest day of our young lives. We split a couple jugs (pitchers) with some Italians, two American teachers from Michigan, and our German friend, Fabian. We decided to wake up for the sunrise. So flash forward to 5 in the morning and our alarm is beeping defiantly against the quiet forest and we all stumble down to the beach wiping the sleep out of our eyes. We stole some chairs from the cafe and sat on the sand watching the stars slowly fading away as the sun began lighting the horizon. We woke up an hour and a half before sunrise, but it was amazing none the less.
Right after that breakfast was served; Our hostel gave us free bacon, eggs and toast. We all sat down and ate our greasy brekky before preparing for our trip to snorkel on the Great Barrier Reef. A bus drove us to the beach where our ship took sail from. The reef was a good 1 ½ hour away and was a mid shelf reef. This basically means the depths were 1-15 meters deep as compared to the outer reef which drop from 3 meters to 3,000 meters (this is a drop straight of the continental shelf). The barrier reef is actually a mountain range that was submerged and the reef is the tops of the mountains poking up. Jumping fish, cuttlefish, 4*2*4 foot clams, nemo, white tip reef sharks, jellyfish, barracuda, etc... are just some of the fish we saw. There are usually turtles that feed in the area but we were not that lucky. The reef itself was incredible. There were enormous fan reefs that looked like 4 foot wide flattened mushrooms and were bright colours: red and blue. We took two disposable cameras woith us so hopefully the pictures turn out.
After 4 hours of snorkelling we headed back enjoying free champagne on the bow of our boat for the afternoon. The sun was bright and the water was turquoise; we were giddy like school girls unable to believe we were smack dab in the middle of a lifelong memory.
The next day we went on a hike to Mount Sorrow (sadface). This proved to be a larger effort than we expected. We felt like Frodo, Sam, and Gollum when they climbed the secret staircase behind Mount Doom (for non-nerds this means we basically hiked 3 hours straight up, yikes). By the end we were above the clouds looking over Cape Tribulation, the view was amazing and always makes it worth it. We saw two interesting animals; the first was a snake that scampered away when we bustled through and the second was a cassowary (look this up on Google) and they are rare (only 15,000 in the wild).
We are writing this awaiting to begin our travel to New Zealand. We tried to wash our clothes but some US Sailors are anchored here this weekend and have taken all of the dryers. The nerve of those guys! Aren’t they supposed to be helping us? Anywho, we leave tomorrow morning for Brisbane and then Auckland! Hizzah! Tomorrow we leave Australia after about five months living here! What a thought – the time is here. Quite a thought really, we’ll miss it quite a bit. But onward and upward! Next time we speak, it shall be with a New Zealand accent!
Take Care (Jer),
Much Love (Nick),
It has been a while since we last talked. Why you ask? Because the place we were staying for the past two nights didn’t have electricity. They’re located in the middle of a national park and it is part of their conservation efforts. They compensated by comping brekky for us. Fair Enough.
The first day, we left Cairnes and did a bus tour up north to Cape Tribulation. On the first day, we went out on the Daintree River to look for saltwater crocodiles – we found them! Quite a large sight, although all they did was laze about. What a life!
Before getting to the resort, we stopped at a local ice cream spot where the flavours were of local variety. For a simple five dollars, we got one scoop of each of their four flavours: Jakfruit, wattleseed, coconut, and apricot. The wattleseed was bomb-dot-com (Nick)! Coconut? Wish it wasn’t the last one I tackled (Jer).
The resort was amazing. It is named “The Beach House” and it fit perfectly. Nestled underneath the rainforest our cabin was within a 5 minute trail to a perfectly secluded beach. The Daintree National Park, where we were staying, is an incredible location; The rainforest is 19 times older than the Amazon and the oldest in the world and connects to the Great Barrier reef which is the most populated and diverse ecosystem in the world. These two meet on a small strip of perfect sandy beach that is teaming with crabs running around sparatically.
The next day was arguably the greatest day of our young lives. We split a couple jugs (pitchers) with some Italians, two American teachers from Michigan, and our German friend, Fabian. We decided to wake up for the sunrise. So flash forward to 5 in the morning and our alarm is beeping defiantly against the quiet forest and we all stumble down to the beach wiping the sleep out of our eyes. We stole some chairs from the cafe and sat on the sand watching the stars slowly fading away as the sun began lighting the horizon. We woke up an hour and a half before sunrise, but it was amazing none the less.
Right after that breakfast was served; Our hostel gave us free bacon, eggs and toast. We all sat down and ate our greasy brekky before preparing for our trip to snorkel on the Great Barrier Reef. A bus drove us to the beach where our ship took sail from. The reef was a good 1 ½ hour away and was a mid shelf reef. This basically means the depths were 1-15 meters deep as compared to the outer reef which drop from 3 meters to 3,000 meters (this is a drop straight of the continental shelf). The barrier reef is actually a mountain range that was submerged and the reef is the tops of the mountains poking up. Jumping fish, cuttlefish, 4*2*4 foot clams, nemo, white tip reef sharks, jellyfish, barracuda, etc... are just some of the fish we saw. There are usually turtles that feed in the area but we were not that lucky. The reef itself was incredible. There were enormous fan reefs that looked like 4 foot wide flattened mushrooms and were bright colours: red and blue. We took two disposable cameras woith us so hopefully the pictures turn out.
After 4 hours of snorkelling we headed back enjoying free champagne on the bow of our boat for the afternoon. The sun was bright and the water was turquoise; we were giddy like school girls unable to believe we were smack dab in the middle of a lifelong memory.
The next day we went on a hike to Mount Sorrow (sadface). This proved to be a larger effort than we expected. We felt like Frodo, Sam, and Gollum when they climbed the secret staircase behind Mount Doom (for non-nerds this means we basically hiked 3 hours straight up, yikes). By the end we were above the clouds looking over Cape Tribulation, the view was amazing and always makes it worth it. We saw two interesting animals; the first was a snake that scampered away when we bustled through and the second was a cassowary (look this up on Google) and they are rare (only 15,000 in the wild).
We are writing this awaiting to begin our travel to New Zealand. We tried to wash our clothes but some US Sailors are anchored here this weekend and have taken all of the dryers. The nerve of those guys! Aren’t they supposed to be helping us? Anywho, we leave tomorrow morning for Brisbane and then Auckland! Hizzah! Tomorrow we leave Australia after about five months living here! What a thought – the time is here. Quite a thought really, we’ll miss it quite a bit. But onward and upward! Next time we speak, it shall be with a New Zealand accent!
Take Care (Jer),
Much Love (Nick),
24 June 2009
Trading Temperance for Blubber
Today we were supposed go on a wine tour early today and drink from sun up to sun down. The hard life I lead. Unfortunately there was a hiccup with our reservations and they booked us two weeks ago - no worries, we'll get the refund, but now we had a day open in Sydney. We looked at our map and went over the things that we wish we had time for and set out. It was a bit of a blessing in disguise because last night we ran into some other Notre Dame students who just got in and were telling them all about what we did and what they should do.
Unfortunately, the city really doesn't open up until 9:30 so we did a lot of walking to places that were still closed. We did however get to go see Bondai Beach which was pretty neat, a bit cold, and then this afternoon went whale watching. Now some might scoff, but it was the best time ever!
I'm a big whale guy, you see. It's one of my favorite animals. So going out on the Pacific to see them, pretty excited. And it started right away; once we got out of the harbour we were seeing whales breaching (jumping). The first fifteen minutes were jam-packed and the rest of the two hours we were surrounded by whale pods and saw some very close shots, including their noses and their fins. An unforgettable experience that will surely be a highlight on this whole trip. Truly remarkable creatures. They're Huge! Abosolutely gigantic! They were about 15 metres which was half the size or out boat and 3-4 metres across. Their tail fin alone weighs two tonnes. Bomber! It was definately worth it.
Tomorrow we head out north to Cairns to hike and snorkel. We're there for about four days before going to New Zealand. And then home! It's been very fast-paced these past few days. We keep ourselves busy and try and appreciate all we can with the environment around us. That being said - we might go see Transformers 2 on IMAX tonight. It's the Largest IMAX in the world! Be jealous Jay.
I don't know how internet will be working in the next few days. I won't be able to post any pictures of the travels until after I get back probably so apologies there. Rest assured, there are plenty of awesome shots. And a whole bunch of whales!! Nick and I also are writing daily Haikus to sum up our experiences travelling. Probably will see it in Borders next fall - they're pretty whale (whale new slang for the most amazing thing you can imagine). It's a fun, whimsical time here!
Well, I don't know how much internet I have left, so I better post before I run out. Hope everyone is doing the best, and can't wait to get back home (well, I can wait another 3 weeks I suppose, you guys aren't that special). Have fun summers, see you all soon.
Take Care,
Unfortunately, the city really doesn't open up until 9:30 so we did a lot of walking to places that were still closed. We did however get to go see Bondai Beach which was pretty neat, a bit cold, and then this afternoon went whale watching. Now some might scoff, but it was the best time ever!
I'm a big whale guy, you see. It's one of my favorite animals. So going out on the Pacific to see them, pretty excited. And it started right away; once we got out of the harbour we were seeing whales breaching (jumping). The first fifteen minutes were jam-packed and the rest of the two hours we were surrounded by whale pods and saw some very close shots, including their noses and their fins. An unforgettable experience that will surely be a highlight on this whole trip. Truly remarkable creatures. They're Huge! Abosolutely gigantic! They were about 15 metres which was half the size or out boat and 3-4 metres across. Their tail fin alone weighs two tonnes. Bomber! It was definately worth it.
Tomorrow we head out north to Cairns to hike and snorkel. We're there for about four days before going to New Zealand. And then home! It's been very fast-paced these past few days. We keep ourselves busy and try and appreciate all we can with the environment around us. That being said - we might go see Transformers 2 on IMAX tonight. It's the Largest IMAX in the world! Be jealous Jay.
I don't know how internet will be working in the next few days. I won't be able to post any pictures of the travels until after I get back probably so apologies there. Rest assured, there are plenty of awesome shots. And a whole bunch of whales!! Nick and I also are writing daily Haikus to sum up our experiences travelling. Probably will see it in Borders next fall - they're pretty whale (whale new slang for the most amazing thing you can imagine). It's a fun, whimsical time here!
Well, I don't know how much internet I have left, so I better post before I run out. Hope everyone is doing the best, and can't wait to get back home (well, I can wait another 3 weeks I suppose, you guys aren't that special). Have fun summers, see you all soon.
Take Care,
22 June 2009
Taking the Blues Out of the Blue Mountains
Dear Everyone,
Now that we're out of school and galavanting around (and now that internet costs money!), Nick and I are combining forces and sharing our experiences here through the next few weeks (sometimes). You'll be able to tell when this happens. For example, this is an example (?):
Today Nick and I ventured to the West to explore the Blue Mountains. After missing the first train, our enthusiasm was dampened, but nonetheless, we strove on and got into Katoomba at around 2:30 this arvo (Australian). HAving no accomodations set, we walked the town, looking for a cheap backpackers. Mission accomplished (it even came with free internet [well, 30 minutes] and free tea[bomb])!
We went out for a hike in the Blue Mountains and saw the Three Sister and Katoomba Cascades. The area is similar to the landscape of the Grand Canyon (in fact here it is also called the Grand Canyon) but there is vegetation. And differnt rocks.
After the hike, we met up with our night hike guides at the fake hotel (we gave them some random spot to pick us up in, worked out). They took us about 20 minutes in some direction (Nick says south, with some evidence) where we met Lester. To describe Lestor, let me say this - Gandolf the Grey.
From here we descended down into the rainforset that made up the valleys and got to see glow-worms gleaming from the cliffsides. They looked like green stars that situated themselves in the cracks of the walls so it looked like parallel lines of green stars (horizontal due to iron concentrations in the sandstone). They make webs of hanging mucous that they hide behind- speaking of behinds, the backsides of these insects glow which attract bugs into their mucously spindles.
Overall, a very good day. Nick and I were the only ones booked on the tour so it was very nice to be able to stop when we wanted for pictures and have a better interaction with the two guides. We have a feeling a lot of our trips will be like this since it is not exactly peak tourist time (I saw my breath today!).
Tomorrow morning we await bacon and eggs with a hike to the Katoomba Waterfall before catching a train back to Sydney and seeing James, our African friend, off to the states - We'll catch him in Omaha on the 18th.
Take Care (from Jer),
Much Love (from Nick),
Now that we're out of school and galavanting around (and now that internet costs money!), Nick and I are combining forces and sharing our experiences here through the next few weeks (sometimes). You'll be able to tell when this happens. For example, this is an example (?):
Today Nick and I ventured to the West to explore the Blue Mountains. After missing the first train, our enthusiasm was dampened, but nonetheless, we strove on and got into Katoomba at around 2:30 this arvo (Australian). HAving no accomodations set, we walked the town, looking for a cheap backpackers. Mission accomplished (it even came with free internet [well, 30 minutes] and free tea[bomb])!
We went out for a hike in the Blue Mountains and saw the Three Sister and Katoomba Cascades. The area is similar to the landscape of the Grand Canyon (in fact here it is also called the Grand Canyon) but there is vegetation. And differnt rocks.
After the hike, we met up with our night hike guides at the fake hotel (we gave them some random spot to pick us up in, worked out). They took us about 20 minutes in some direction (Nick says south, with some evidence) where we met Lester. To describe Lestor, let me say this - Gandolf the Grey.
From here we descended down into the rainforset that made up the valleys and got to see glow-worms gleaming from the cliffsides. They looked like green stars that situated themselves in the cracks of the walls so it looked like parallel lines of green stars (horizontal due to iron concentrations in the sandstone). They make webs of hanging mucous that they hide behind- speaking of behinds, the backsides of these insects glow which attract bugs into their mucously spindles.
Overall, a very good day. Nick and I were the only ones booked on the tour so it was very nice to be able to stop when we wanted for pictures and have a better interaction with the two guides. We have a feeling a lot of our trips will be like this since it is not exactly peak tourist time (I saw my breath today!).
Tomorrow morning we await bacon and eggs with a hike to the Katoomba Waterfall before catching a train back to Sydney and seeing James, our African friend, off to the states - We'll catch him in Omaha on the 18th.
Take Care (from Jer),
Much Love (from Nick),
19 June 2009
A Tip of the Cap to the Indian Ocean
Well, it's almost five in the morning and I think I'm mostly packed. My roommate decided to go to bed at 10:00 on the night that I had to pack up my life. Awesome job. So I clumsily grabbed all my belongings and commandeered the common room as a bas of operations. I hope to sneak back in around 6:30 to clean up all the trash...
My flight leaves at 12:15 and then I'm off to Sydney for a few days. I'll be touching down on American soil on the 17th of July. It'll be nice to travel without school on the mind. Even when we go on trips during breaks here, projects and assignments are always on the mind so it's nice to be able to relax for a bit before I go home to go on vacation. Man, my life is tough!
School is finally over! I turned my last paper in at 11:00 and have spent the rest of the time teaching my American friend how to knit (she has the sweetest pom on her hat now), buying some last minute things (can't leave without a flag) and saying goodbyes. Trickier than I thought they would be. Oh, and word of advice: people, especially females, do not like hearing "goodbye forever." But let's be realistic here.
Oh deary, I hope my friends don't read this. The last few weeks have been super busy and packed. Nick's lady friend was here for a good two weeks which was very exciting. Tonight I tried to get written up by drinking scotch in the common (I know scotch was a bad choice) but at this point, they don't care. I can't be bad no matter how hard I try!
I'm going to miss Australia. I don't think I'll really grasp some of its meaning for a bit, but it'll be there. It's a bittersweet feeling to leave. I'm ready to head out and on, but am reluctant to start.
Sorry for the disappearing with communication. I will try to catch up with all of you during my travels. If not, I'm doing very little over the summer. Thanks so much for keeping in touch! It's been great hearing from the States, I'm sorry I'm such a bad e-mail conversationalist.
Take Care Everyone! I'll be seeing you soon!
My flight leaves at 12:15 and then I'm off to Sydney for a few days. I'll be touching down on American soil on the 17th of July. It'll be nice to travel without school on the mind. Even when we go on trips during breaks here, projects and assignments are always on the mind so it's nice to be able to relax for a bit before I go home to go on vacation. Man, my life is tough!
School is finally over! I turned my last paper in at 11:00 and have spent the rest of the time teaching my American friend how to knit (she has the sweetest pom on her hat now), buying some last minute things (can't leave without a flag) and saying goodbyes. Trickier than I thought they would be. Oh, and word of advice: people, especially females, do not like hearing "goodbye forever." But let's be realistic here.
Oh deary, I hope my friends don't read this. The last few weeks have been super busy and packed. Nick's lady friend was here for a good two weeks which was very exciting. Tonight I tried to get written up by drinking scotch in the common (I know scotch was a bad choice) but at this point, they don't care. I can't be bad no matter how hard I try!
I'm going to miss Australia. I don't think I'll really grasp some of its meaning for a bit, but it'll be there. It's a bittersweet feeling to leave. I'm ready to head out and on, but am reluctant to start.
Sorry for the disappearing with communication. I will try to catch up with all of you during my travels. If not, I'm doing very little over the summer. Thanks so much for keeping in touch! It's been great hearing from the States, I'm sorry I'm such a bad e-mail conversationalist.
Take Care Everyone! I'll be seeing you soon!
03 June 2009
A Journey to Find Yourself
Last week was study week and like a good American student I spent it travelling instead of studying. I went down to Margaret River and spent four days and three nights camping in the bush by myself. Being a three hours hike away from the city, I was quite alone, especially when the nights came.
I'm not going to beat around the bush, it was depressing at times. Once the sun goes down (5:30) there's little to do. I spent my days reading, my nights hiking, and my meals on a rock looking at the ocean.
Very rarely can one really take themselves out of the grasps of society. So in hindsight it was a good experience, even if during it was a bit lonely and long. It reminded me of my Freshman Retreat motto - A Journey to Find Yourself. I think that this was the final culmination of that retreat. In a way it was another kind of retreat I suppose.
Now I'm back and have until the 15th for my first final. The plan is to spend this time finishing up my projects so I don't have to worry about them aferwards. I have two papers and a take home test needing to be complete. If I get those done by next Thursday, I'll be a very happy boy.
My friend Nick's girlfriend is getting into Freo today. Her name is Nicki, it is weird. So he's getting quite antsy about that and is just counting the hours till he gets to go to the airport and get her. The P&O is all very excited for her to come, we've all heard quite a bit about her (I've been spreading viscious rumors).
Hope all is well back in the states. I'm jealous of your warm weather there. I'm wearing my flannels more and more and I think t-shirts alone is a fashion I'll have to retire here.
Take Care,
I'm not going to beat around the bush, it was depressing at times. Once the sun goes down (5:30) there's little to do. I spent my days reading, my nights hiking, and my meals on a rock looking at the ocean.
Very rarely can one really take themselves out of the grasps of society. So in hindsight it was a good experience, even if during it was a bit lonely and long. It reminded me of my Freshman Retreat motto - A Journey to Find Yourself. I think that this was the final culmination of that retreat. In a way it was another kind of retreat I suppose.
Now I'm back and have until the 15th for my first final. The plan is to spend this time finishing up my projects so I don't have to worry about them aferwards. I have two papers and a take home test needing to be complete. If I get those done by next Thursday, I'll be a very happy boy.
My friend Nick's girlfriend is getting into Freo today. Her name is Nicki, it is weird. So he's getting quite antsy about that and is just counting the hours till he gets to go to the airport and get her. The P&O is all very excited for her to come, we've all heard quite a bit about her (I've been spreading viscious rumors).
Hope all is well back in the states. I'm jealous of your warm weather there. I'm wearing my flannels more and more and I think t-shirts alone is a fashion I'll have to retire here.
Take Care,
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